Key “facts” upon which Kaplan premised her article are incorrect.  First, the Inglewood School District is a majority Hispanic district (fifty-seven percent) with declining black enrollment (forty-one percent).

      Second, Culver City is not a predominately white district.  It is thirty-seven percent Hispanic, twenty-three percent white and eighteen percent black. 

      Thus, the Ladera students would move from a predominately “minority district” to a predominately “minority district.” Also, Ladera is not a largely black community as alleged. Many white families live in Ladera which makes our community diverse and, therefore, even more appealing. We wish more neighborhoods reflected what we have here in Ladera. And Culver City, once largely white, is very integrated as well.

      In describing Ladera geographically, to paint us into a black corridor, Ms. Kaplan neglects to mention that Ladera Heights sits aside Culver City on its large western border.  She obviously did not speak to us or to any members of the Ladera Heights community. If she had, she would have discovered that typical of many Ladera parents, Chief Petitioner Cheryl Cook enrolled her son at Parent Elementary (an IUSD school) but soon switched him to a private school. 

      She also would have learned that many of us lived in Culver City before moving to Ladera. Our community spends a lot of time and money in Culver City.  Our community identity is primarily with Culver City, not Inglewood.

 

      Ladera Heights has been a part of the Inglewood School District since its founding in the 1940s.  At that time, Inglewood was considered one of the finest school districts in the state.  But that was then. For the past twenty years, despite our best efforts, our local K-8 schools have declined, and the Inglewood High School is a complete non-starter.  We have given up. We want a better education option for our children.

      It is unfortunate that everybody wants to make everything about race. But in this instance Ms. Kaplan is way off base. 

      The issue of black vs.white was instigated via phone call messages and at public meetings/hearings by Inglewood officials and activists who deliberately painted a picture of the major impacts our proposal would have on Culver City schools if it passed.

      They used the “race card” in an attempt to turn Culver City parents against Ladera’s petition. With dire warnings of “busing” and “gangs” arriving in Culver City, there were indeed some Culver City parents who were convinced the proposal was a bad idea for them.  

      Culver City school officials and Ladera residents were totally caught off guard. We were not prepared for these dirty tricks. Our community outreach letter was written to set forth the truth and to undo the harm done by Inglewood’s machinations.  The response to the letter by Culver City residents has been overwhelmingly positive.

      In closing, our effort is not about race or trying to "run" from blacks, but an attempt to improve the educational opportunities for the children of Ladera Heights. 

      In the end, as we just discovered, it all boils down to money. We will be held hostage to a school district that we cannot use, but must support with our tax base, while we continue to have to pay for private schools. 

      Furthermore, because we are such a small community (representing only twelve percent of Inglewood’s voting populace), we have no power in Inglewood to effect any change.

 

 (Signed),